CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES
GOOSE RHYMES
LITTLE ORIENTALS
Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
TRANSLATED
AND
ILLUSTRATED
BY
ISAAC TAYLOR HEADLAND
OF PEKING UNIVERSITY.
Fleming H. Revell Company
New York Chicago Toronto
By
Fleming H. Revell Company
PREFACE
There are probably more nursery rhymes inChina than can be found in England andAmerica. We have in our possession more than sixhundred, collected, for the most part, in two out ofthe eighteen provinces, and we have no reason tobelieve that we have succeeded in getting any largeproportion of what those two provinces contain.
In most of the rhymes there are features commonto those of our own "Mother Goose," among whichare those referring (1) to insects, (2) animals, (3)birds, (4) persons, (5) children, (6) food, (7) partsof the body, (8) actions, such as patting, grabbing,tickling, etc., (9) professions, trades and business.
We have tried to reproduce the meaning of theoriginal as nearly as possible; this has notalways been an easy task. Let it be understoodthat these rhymes make no pretentions to literarymerit, nor has the translator made any attempt atregularity in the meter, because neither the originalnor our own "Mother Goose" is regular. Ourdesire has been to make a translation which is fairlytrue to the original, and which will please English-speakingchildren. The child, not the critic, hasalways been kept in view.
Attention is called to the affection manifestedin such rhymes as "Sweeter than Sugar," "SweetPill," "Little Fat Boy," and "Baby is Sleeping."There is no language in the world, we ventureto believe, which contains children's songsexpressive of more keen and tender affection thanthose we have mentioned. This fact, more than anyother, has stimulated us in the preparation of theserhymes. They have been prepared with the hopethat they will present a new phase of Chinese homelife, and lead the children of the West to havesome measure of sympathy and affection for thechildren of the East.
The compilation was much facilitated by thework done by Baron Vitali, of the Italian Legationin Peking; Rev. Arthur H. Smith, author of"Chinese Characteristics;" Miss Mabel Whiting, ofPeking; Miss Mitchell, of Chinkiang; Mrs.McClure, of Honan; Miss Chalfant, of Shantung;Mr. Chao Tsz-chi, Chinese Consul at New York;Mr. Yamamoto, of Peking, and Rev. ChauncyGoodrich, of T'ung Chou, while the entire woris due to t